AND THEN IT BEGAN

And, just like that...with one video and one day of refining carbs and carefully paying attention, it happened. I registered last night for a mild amount of ketones which means, ketosis has begun. And, I can already feel it. If anyone else is going through this, please just trust the process and wait for it.

This morning I had a bowl of oatmeal and then headed out to a conference with my purse packed full of the day's food. I kept busy until 12 and then back to work to make my chicken soup. I decided that 2 oz of protein with my lunch is necessary when working with the low carb options so I had some stir fried chicken left over from last night. Then, I ate my 3 cup romaine and apple cider vinegar salad with 1 tsp oil. This afternoon I'll have a shake and my veggies for a snack.

I have a feeling that there will be a lot of this in my future!

My afternoons were the hardest but I refined to add the salad and to reduce carbs and I already feel better. I feel much more full and more energy all around. I can tell that the ketosis process is changing things for me. It just means I have to have less carbs than the other people seem to. That's okay by me if it means I have this energy and I can enjoy the food I do eat. My salad felt like a luxurious treat to have for lunch.

I did think of a unique way to have a quick meal last night. I weighed out chicken breast into 6 oz (I had 2 oz of protein for lunch) and cut into strips. Then I stir fried them in a little bit of grapeseed oil (1 tsp) and tossed them in Franks RedHot sauce. It was my version of wings. I then chopped 2 cups of veggies (celery, broccoli, and cauliflower) as crudites and dipped them in 1 teaspoon of organic low calorie fat and carb free ranch dip.

It was filling and felt like an easy and quick meal that I might have in a pub somewhere.

Daily Videos

Today's video was about willpower. I found it really interesting and true for myself. The idea that this diet works because it reduces the number of decisions you have to make in the day. The rules are easy and if you just follow the guide, you don't have to decide much. Then, there are things you can do to make it easier, chop veggies in advance, write down net carbs, weigh and measure. 

My partner loves to tweak things to her satisfaction--it seems like she wants a loophole or a cheat. She likes to be smarter than the rules, or to take the rules and apply them for her own benefit. She is smart and sometimes too smart for her own good. This creates huge anxiety for me. I need things to be simple because I know that if I start granting myself freedom of choice, I end up taking liberties to pick and choose and within a blink it all goes out the window. I like the rules. I hope that this time the rules help me be successful for a long time. As the video said:

If you go all in, and put your diet on autopilot, you face fewer decisions...your willpower will last longer

Journalling

The video also talked about food journalling. I also know food journalling is the best thing I can do. If I didn't have the food journal, I wouldn't have had the idea of where I went wrong and I might not achieve any ketosis or weight loss this week. I am hoping I will really commit to this practice and hopefully use it to help me plan the day in advance to account for any needed accommodations due to schedule or social events. 

Heres a link to a Kaiser Permaenente Research Project on food journalling and diet success.